Zanu PF youths target national park

MUTARE – Zanu PF youths have vowed to invade Nyanga National Parks and an
Allied Timbers plantation in Chimanimani as well as seize urban land in
Mutare in a desperate bid to award themselves residential stands before
the watershed 2018 elections.

Zanu PF Manicaland provincial youth league chairperson Mubuso Chingunu
told a provincial youth league executive meeting with national executive
members in Mutare on Saturday that they are resorting to land seizures
after their requests were turned down by the two institutions.

Chingunu said although they had been advised to follow procedure in
acquiring urban land, they only succeeded in Zanu PF-dominated councils
such as Chipinge where they got 376 hectares.

The youths were also allocated land at Checheche, Birchenough Bridge,
Nyazura and Rusape.

“We have a challenge accessing land in Mutare because it is dominated by
MDC. Laid down procedure is not working in Mutare as you know well that
it’s a very destructive party. We are going to take a radical approach to
get our stands.

“We are going to invade, peacefully, land in Dangamvura and Chikanga and
share it with or without approval. The ministry (of Local Government) will
come and regularise things after we would have given youths stands.

“In Nyanga, the land we want belongs to national parks and we are not
receiving any joy from them because they have not been forthcoming with
their land….

“In Chimanimani we face the same challenges and the land belongs to Allied
Timbers. There is, however, no timber in the area we are interested in and
we are going to use the same radical approach there as well,” Chingunu
said.

The excitable youth league leader also made a push to have all white
commercial farmers ejected from their farms arguing that any calls to
spare them because of their productivity or signed protocols were
frivolous.

“We are being told that there is no longer any land for commercial
agriculture. How can land run out when we still have white farmers in
Chipinge, Chimanimani, Nyanga and in Zimunya-Marange. We are now being
told that they are productive and there is BIPPA (bilateral Investment
Promotion and Protection Agreement). Why should we respect them now?

“…they are saying this because they are charging these whites protection
fees…we are going to expose these selfish politicians. We are not going
to allow corruption and greed to kill the land reform programme,” Chingunu
said.

He then went into his usual rant declaring that President Robert Mugabe
would rule for as long as he had breath in his nostrils, a cause he said
his executive is willing to die for.

“As long as…Mugabe is alive he will be ruling Zimbabwe. Those who dream
of ruling Zimbabwe while he still has life should forget it. We are
prepared to defend our president with our blood,” he said.

Chingunu scoffed at the two-term limit as just a compromise struck up
during the constitution-making process which they would repeal to allow
Mugabe to stand for elections if he lives to 99 years when the 2023
elections are due.